US-Iran talks laid ‘very good foundation for a successful final deal’ – Vance
JD Vance said the talks with Iran created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the war.
“The final deal is the house,” the US vice president told reporters. “We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”
The vice president also suggested that the US could agree to unfreeze Iranian assets for purchases of American soy, corn and wheat.
Key events
JD Vance was asked if he expected Iran to tie its talks with the US to Lebanon as closely as they have done and for his view on how he sees developments on Lebanon. The US vice president replied that “very good progress” has been made on Lebanon, agreeing with the Iranian foreign minister’s comments earlier (see this post for more details).
Vance said the US wants a regional ceasefire and for Hezbollah to stop firing at America’s “friends in Israel”. “We want Israelis to be able to live in peace.”
He went on:
We also want to make sure that when things happen they don’t spiral into a broader escalation.
And so we’ve been I think very good at setting up what we are calling a ‘deconfliction mechanism’ but what it really is is to say that when things happen the sides are actually talking to one another.
Sometimes you have got a little bit of a chicken and egg problem – that you have got a junior guy who fires a drone that didn’t have approval from the high command.
Okay, of course Israel has to respond to that but then sometimes that response we could actually have a better and more peaceful situation if Israel responds in the context of a conversation that is ongoing between Hezbollah, Lebanon, Israel and other partners in the region.
There really hasn’t been a mechanism to have those discussions until basically around 4pm yesterday Bürgenstock time when we set that up.
So, what we are trying to do is to say first of all Israel and every other nation in the region has the right of self-defence but we want to make sure that everybody has that right of self-defence in the background where we are talking about how to de-escalate these conflicts.
Vance claimed that the last 24 hours has “probably” been the “most peaceful” Lebanon has seen recently. He didn’t mention Israel’s continuing occupation of swathes of southern Lebanon, something that Hezbollah, which is demanding a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, has said is completely unacceptable.
When asked how soon IAEA inspectors could come to Iran, JD Vance said nuclear inspectors were called at 2am last night – but no one picked up the call.
“As you can expect, not many people are answering their phone at two in the morning,” the vice president said. “I expect that will happen at the minimum this week, but we think even some of those conversations with the inspectors and with the IAEA could happen as soon as today.”
US-Iran talks laid ‘very good foundation for a successful final deal’ – Vance
JD Vance said the talks with Iran created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the war.
“The final deal is the house,” the US vice president told reporters. “We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people.”
The vice president also suggested that the US could agree to unfreeze Iranian assets for purchases of American soy, corn and wheat.
Vance said ‘great progress’ has been made so far in US-Iran talks
JD Vance said the US and Iran teams made “great progress” in talks yesterday with the help of mediation from Qatar and Pakistan. He added:
They will continue to work at the technical level with the teams here in Bürgenstock.
And then those technical negotiations are going to continue over the weeks and days to come.
We wanted to set up a structure for that so you could have proper political oversight but, obviously, as much as this place is very beautiful I can’t stay here for the next 60 days.
I am about to go back home to the United States. But the technical teams are going to be working with proper oversight to make sure that we are accomplishing the objectives that matter for everybody.
Iran has agreed to invite IAEA inspectors back to their country, JD Vance says
The US vice president, JD Vance, has said Iran has agreed to invite International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors back into their country.
“This is probably what we are most excited about as Americans,” Vance told reporters in Bürgenstock, as he confirmed that he will head back to the US as technical negotiations in Switzerland continue.
Talking about the return of IAEA inspectors, Vance said it represented “a major milestone for the American people and the first step in permanently ending a nuclear weapons programme in Iran”.
China welcomes Iran and the US starting follow-up talks on a memorandum of understanding, the country’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, said in a meeting on Monday with Iran’s senior security official in India.
“Maintaining and implementing the Memorandum of Understanding will help consolidate the hard-won ceasefire, open new prospects for Iran-US relations,” Wang told Ghadir Nezami, according a statement from his ministry.
China backs Iran in safeguarding its sovereignty and dignity and improving ties with Gulf and regional countries, Wang said, adding that Beijing is willing to provide help to restore regional peace.
Analysts say China has benefited greatly from the US-Israel war on Iran, which showed the limits of American power abroad. Beijing’s diplomatic clout grew after promoting itself as a proponent of peace during the conflict and rising oil prices hurt the US more than China, whose fossil fuel stockpiles and diversified energy mix insulated it from the worst of the oil shock resulting from the effective closure of the strait of Hormuz.
My colleagues Seham Tantesh and Julian Borger filed this report on 28 May so the casualty figure (of 900) is outdated – but it gives some useful context about the Hamas-Israel ‘ceasefire’:
Benjamin Netanyahu has said he has given orders to the Israeli army to seize control of 70% of the Gaza Strip in a move that threatens to torpedo an already fragile ceasefire and create catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the already devastated territory.
Under the US-brokered ceasefire in October, the Israeli army withdrew to a demarcation line which gave Israel direct control of 53% of the occupied territory. Since then, Israeli forces have steadily advanced their positions westward into the Hamas-controlled half of the strip, and declared an ever-expanded no man’s land west of that, within which they claim the right to decide who can enter and open fire on anyone perceived as a threat.
Throughout the eight months of the ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued to open fire on Palestinians within range of the “yellow line” splitting the strip, and carry out airstrikes deeper inside western Gaza, killing more than 900 Palestinians since the truce began.
A UN security council resolution passed in November, delegated the monitoring of the ceasefire to a Trump-appointed Board of Peace, which named a Bulgarian UN veteran diplomat, Nickolay Mladenov, as “high representative in Gaza”.
Mladenov was widely criticised for his report to the security council last week, which assigned primary blame for the failings of the ceasefire on Hamas, accusing it of refusing to disarm, without holding Israel accountable for its violations. Hamas has signalled it is ready to discuss disarmament once Israel has fulfilled its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire, in particular by ceasing the bombardment of Gaza and withdrawing to the original yellow line.
According to Palestinian news agency Wafa, a high school student was killed and several other civilians were injured earlier today in an Israeli attack on a civilian vehicle in Gaza City. The Gaza health ministry says at least 1,021 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ‘ceasefire’ between Israel and Hamas came into effect in October 2025.
In a post on X, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said US-Iran talks have concluded “successfully” in Switzerland, adding that discussions produced agreement on the establishment of a “high-level committee” to provide “political oversight” of the talks which are now entering a more “technical” phase.
“I commend the leadership of both the United States as well as Iran for their continued commitment to constructive engagement, and thank all brotherly and friendly countries for their valuable support in advancing this historic process,” Sharif, a key mediator between the US and Iran, wrote in his social media post. He praised Qatar for its mediation efforts and Switzerland for hosting the high-level diplomatic talks.
Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said he held a phone call with his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, in which he claimed that Israel had no “territorial ambitions” in Lebanon. Here is his full statement:
I said that Israel will respect the ceasefire in Lebanon as long as it won’t be breached by Hezbollah. We don’t have territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but we will not withdraw from the security zone and expose our citizens to Hezbollah’s attacks and possible invasion. Lebanon’s sovereignty has been breached for decades to this very day by Iran’s indirect occupation by Hezbollah. It’s the interest of both Lebanon and Israel that Hezbollah’s terror state will be dismantled. I invited the FM to Israel.
Both Israel and Hezbollah, which has been supported and funded by Iran for decades, have violated the ceasefire agreements meant to stop fighting between them, with near-daily cross-border strikes. Israel’s attacks have killed many civilians despite claims they are only targeting Hezbollah. Contrary to what Sa’ar suggested in his X post, Israel’s military actions and statements have fuelled fears of long-term occupation inside south Lebanon as Israeli troops pushed deeper into Lebanese territory across the border. Israel published a map on Thursday showing an expanded military “control zone” in the south and said it would not rule out carrying out attacks beyond it.
Israel launched a ground invasion into Lebanon in late March in response to Hezbollah firing rockets at northern Israel to avenge the US-Israeli killing of the former Iranian supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, in Tehran. Evacuation warnings, some stretching beyond the areas under its control, have forced over one million Lebanese people to flee. Unlike previous occupations of southern Lebanon, Israel has warned civilians against returning. Several villages along the border have been largely demolished.
According to the Lebanese presidency’s office, Lebanon’s president Joseph Aoun has had a call with the US vice president JD Vance, Donald Trump’s son-in-law/adviser Jared Kushner and Qatar’s prime minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani.
“The discussion in the call addressed the issue of consolidating the ceasefire in Lebanon, halting the Israeli military escalation, and the steps that must be taken in this regard, including the possibility of forming a cell for this purpose,” according to a social media post by the office.
Iran’s senior negotiation team leaves Switzerland as technical talks on implementing MoU begin
According to reports in Iranian media, Iran’s delegation, led by the speaker of the country’s parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has left Switzerland after hours of intensive talks.
The technical team, led by Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, reportedly remains in Switzerland to continue with technical negotiations with the US on implementing the memorandum of understanding (see this post for more details).
Representatives from mediator countries Qatar and Pakistan are also expected to participate.
Swiss foreign ministry welcomes ‘constructive progress’ in US-Iran talks
In a statement, the Swiss foreign ministry said: “The Swiss facilitator welcomes the constructive progress made during the intensive diplomatic talks that continued throughout the night of 21-22 June at the Burgenstock between the mediators, Iran and the United States”.
The ministry added that the roadmap agreed “creates the conditions for the immediate resumption of new technical discussions”.
Future talks are set to focus on Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions, and a “monitoring and dispute resolution group to ensure the effective implementation of the MoU, and on other matters”, according to a joint statement by Qatar and Pakistan, the key mediators.
Lebanon was drawn into the war when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on 2 March to avenge the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s former supreme leader in Tehran in late February.
More than a million people have since been displaced by Israel’s renewed war on Lebanon, sparking a refugee and humanitarian crisis.
Some Lebanese people have cautiously returned to their homes in the south since the announcement of the framework US-Iran peace deal, but many have stayed away fearing a resumption in full-scale attacks.
Others don’t have any homes to return to because Israel has levelled entire villages inside the so-called “yellow line”, a large area that has been occupied by Israel along the Lebanese-Israeli border, as my colleague William Christou notes in this story.
At least 4,106 people, including many women and children, have been killed and 12,153 injured by Israeli attacks since 2 March, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. Hezbollah has killed dozens of Israeli soldiers in Lebanon and at least three Israeli civilians.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem yesterday reportedly rejected any Israeli security zone in Lebanon and said the militant group would respond to any violation from the Israeli side. In a televised address, he was quoted as having said: Israeli troops “remaining on Lebanese land is impossible. There are no security zones for Israel… we have a national army which deploys, and it is responsible for preserving sovereignty, and it is who we cooperate with”.
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, said Israel has no intention of withdrawing from Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon. In a statement to X last night, he said: “Israel has no intention of withdrawing from the Beaufort, which is an integral part of the security zone in Lebanon and essential for the defense of the Galilee settlements and IDF forces.”
“As prime minister Netanyahu and I have clarified – Israel will not withdraw from the security zone in Lebanon.”
The Israeli military, which already controlled territory up to the Litani River, captured the strategic castle at the end of May, as Israeli troops moved deeper into Lebanese territory.
It had symbolic significance because the Israeli military had used the castle, also known as Qalaat al-Shaqif, as a base during its previous occupation of southern Lebanon between 1982 and 2000.
The Israeli newspaper Hareetz is reporting that ambassador-level talks this week between Israel and Lebanon will establish “pilot areas” which will be under exclusive control of the Lebanese military, meaning the IDF will have to leave some of the areas they currently occupy. It is not immediately clear if an Israeli withdrawal from Beaufort castle is planned.
Under the reported plan, the Lebanese forces’ conduct in those specified “pilot areas” would be under close American supervision and Lebanon’s army would also take control of some areas not currently held by Israel.
‘Major progress’ made to end Israel’s war in Lebanon, Iranian foreign minister says
In a post on X on Monday morning following the end of the first session of talks in Switzerland, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said “major progress” had been made to end Israel’s war in Lebanon.
He wrote: “Oil and petrochem exports are waived, blockade lifted, some frozen assets released, and major reconstruction & development plan launched for Iran. 1st real test: Lebanon deconfliction cell.”
Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed yesterday to keep Israeli troops in the so-called “security zone” in southern Lebanon “for as long as necessary”, claiming this is to protect northern Israel from Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group.
“As prime minister of Israel, I insist on this unequivocally, and nothing will change it,” seemingly referring to his increasingly strained relationship with the US president, Donald Trump, who has said Netanyahu has been using disproportionate force in the attacks against Hezbollah, in which civilians are often killed. Trump is demanding the Israeli airstrikes stop in Lebanon because the negotiations with Iran will be derailed again if they don’t.
Last week, Israel announced the “security zone” in southern Lebanon, which comprises hundreds of square miles of territory. Lebanese officials have demanded a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, something Iran said was required by the memorandum of understanding.
US-Iran talks set to continue despite Iranian walkout
The first round of face-to-face talks between the US and Iran ended in Switzerland on Monday, mediators said, after a tense opening marked by Tehran saying it had again closed the strait of Hormuz and Donald Trump repeating his threats to resume attacks on Iran.
Mediators Qatar and Pakistan said Washington and Tehran agreed to a roadmap towards a final deal within 60 days and that technical talks would continue for the rest of the week in the Swiss mountain resort of Buergenstock.
The parties agreed to a mechanism to end Israel’s war in Lebanon and opened a communications line to help ensure safe passages for commercial ships through the Hormuz strait, according to the joint statement which said that the first session of talks under the US-Iran agreement had concluded.
Just before the high-stakes talks officially began on Sunday, Fox News reported that Trump said he had told Iranian officials regarding the strait of Hormuz: “You close it and you won’t have a country. You won’t even make it back to your fucking country.” Trump also reiterated an earlier threat that the US would take over the strait and possibly charge a toll of its own, it said.
In other developments:
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The talks had a tense start, with Iranian negotiators walking out in protest against Trump’s threats. Iranian state media said the talks had entered a “difficult phase” and recessed after the “publication of an insulting message by the US president”. But high-level negotiations continued before concluding in the early hours of Monday, with Pakistan and Qatar saying technical talks between the two sides would continue for the rest of the week.
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After Trump’s threats became public, the Iranian delegation refused to return to the room where talks were held, though messages were still being traded via Pakistani and Qatari mediators, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
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Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media his country had secured waivers for oil and petrochemical exports, the release of some frozen assets and the launch of a reconstruction and development plan for Iran. The US did not immediately comment on the claims.
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Iran said at the weekend that it had again stopped maritime traffic through the Hormuz strait, in response to continuing fighting in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, and that Sunday’s talks would not cover substantive issues such as Iran’s nuclear program.
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In Switzerland, US vice-president JD Vance played down the impact of the violence in Lebanon, saying progress had been made towards ending hostilities there. “These things are always a little bit messy,” said Vance, leading the American delegation.
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In the US, Trump threatened to resume attacks on Iran if it did not rein in its allies. “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump said on social media, apparently referring to Hezbollah. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”
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Despite Trump’s threats, Vance told reporters the US president had “asked us to turn over a new leaf to transform our relationship with the people of Iran”.
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Five vessels passed the strait on Sunday, a sharp drop from the 26 ships spotted a day earlier, data from analytics firm Kpler showed. The data may exclude vessels that switch off their transponders while travelling in the Gulf.
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Sunday appeared to be the quietest day in Lebanon for some time, with no reports of major violence by nightfall, after two days of heavy Israeli strikes, which killed many people including civilians, and fire from Hezbollah fighters on Israeli positions. Reuters journalists in southern Lebanon on Sunday saw some of the heaviest traffic since the memorandum of understanding was signed, with residents returning to their homes, some waving Hezbollah flags.
With news agencies
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/jun/22/middle-east-crisis-iran-us-peace-talks-switzerland-strait-of-hormuz-latest-news-updates
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